Ferroelectric Polarization-Enhanced Photocatalysis in BaTiO3-TiO2 Core-Shell Heterostructures

Abstract

Suppressing charge recombination and improving carrier transport are key challenges for the enhancement of photocatalytic activity of heterostructured photocatalysts. Here, we report a ferroelectric polarization-enhanced photocatalysis on the basis of BaTiO3-TiO2 core-shell heterostructures synthesized via a hydrothermal process. With an optimal weight ratio of BaTiO3 to TiO2, the heterostructures exhibited the maximum photocatalytic performance of 1.8 times higher than pure TiO2 nanoparticles. The enhanced photocatalytic activity is attributed to the promotion of charge separation and transport based on the internal electric field originating from the spontaneous polarization of ferroelectric BaTiO3. High stability of polarization-enhanced photocatalysis is also confirmed from the BaTiO3-TiO2 core-shell heterostructures. This study provides evidence that ferroelectric polarization holds great promise for improving the performance of heterostructured photocatalysts.